Continuous printing machine for cinematographic films



Oct. 27, 1936.

FIG. 1a

H. CHRETIEN 2,058,415

CONTINUOUS PRINTING MACHINE FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIC FILMS Filed Feb. 9, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 27, 1936. H. CHRETIEN CONTINUOUS ERINTING MACHINE FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIC FILMS Filed Feb. 9, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG!!- Patented Oct. 27, 193$ I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTINUOUS PRINTING MACHINE FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIC FILMS Henri Chrtien, Saint-Cloud, France Application February 9, 1934,.Serial No. 710,415 In France February 27, 1933 3 Claims. (Cl. 8824) The object of the present invention is a photothe plane of Figure 1, and passes through the graphic printing machine which makes it posfocal point 4 of a lens or collimator ,5. The pensible to print a copy of a cinematographic film, oils of parallel rays issuing from said collimator anamorphosed or not, or the simultaneous printpass through any suitable reversing" system, such 5 ing of several copies, anamorphosed or not, from for example as a Wollaston reversing prism 6 the 5 one original film, anamorphosis being effected, reflecting surface of which is parallel to the plane in case of need, either in the direction in which of the figure. said film unrolls, or in a direction perpendicular On emerging from the reversing prism, the rays to said unrolling direction. With the printing are reflected at right angles by a total reflection 10 machine which forms the subject matter of the prism I or by a mirror. They then pass through 0 invention, printing is continuous; in other words, any suitable anamorphosing system 8, such as the original and the copy, (or copies), travel Brewsters prism anamorphoser, or through a through the machine according to a continuous crossed generatrix, cylindrical lens anamormotion ahd not according to a jerking motion, phoser such as Abbe and Rudolph's, but a preas is the case in most of the usual cinematoferred system is that described in French Patents 1 graphic printing machines. No. 638,542 of December 9, 1928 and No. 702,975

The objects hereinabove mentioned are obof September 16, 1930. This anamorphoser oftained by means of the optical device and confers special advantages in the present case where trivances hereinafter described. it is desired to produce, simultaneously, two The printing machine which forms the subject copies from the same original film, since it makes 20 matter of the invention has been represented in it possible to use a single anamorphoser for two diagram form in the attached drawings, and copies (and even three copies in case of need), if merely as an example, in its application to the said anamorphoser is positioned in such a way simultaneous production of two copies, anamorthat the generatrices of the cylindrical lenses phosed in the direction in which the original fllm which constitute it are parallel to the plane con- 25 unrolls as in the case of printing a sound track taining the optic axes of the lenses to which on a virgin film or on a virgin film on which reference will be made later. When it is intendlatent cinematographic pictures have already ed to make only one copy at a time the direction been impressed, using a film twice the width of in which anamorphosis occurs is immaterial; it that of each of the copies. In these drawings: depends only on the use for which the copy is 30 Fig. 1 is a plan view, in diagram form, of the intended. optical system of the printing machine and of On emerging from anamorphoser 8 comprising the driving reels of the films; two cylindrical lenses C and 0 whose generatrices Figure 1a. is a cross sectional view of the cylinare parallel to one another, the rays propagated drical lenses. forming the anamorphoser shown are reflected at right angles by prism 9 (or by a 35 in Figure 1. mirror) so that they may again become parallel Figure 2 shows the collimator and the Wolto the optic axis of collimator 5, then they pass laston prism of Figure 1, represented in section through the two lenses l0 and II, the focal through a plane positioned at an angle of 90 lengths of which are exactly identical. The 40 degrees relatively to Figure 1 and containing the number of said lenses is equal to that of the 40 optical axis of the collimator; copies which are to be simultaneously printed. Figure 3 is an elevation, according to the di- The optical axes of said lenses are parallel to the rection of propagation of the luminous rays, of optical axis of collimator 5 and are positioned in the paired lenses and of the diaphragm of the the same plane as said axis, all the axes passing paired lenses;' along a plane-which coincides with that in Fig- 45 Figure 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of anure 1. other embodiment of the invention in which the Finally a virgin fllm (or films) l3 on which it reversal of the image is produced by the anamoris desired to copy the original positioned at 2, phoser itself instead of a special reversing demoves, in the focal plane which is common to viccg lenses Ill and Ii, on a drum l2, provided with 60 Figure 4a is a cross sectional view of the cylinteeth, said drum I! being fixed to shaft 3. Said 'drical lenses shown in Figure 4. film (or films) is drawn along at a linear speed As is shown in the drawings, the original film equal to that of the pictures, by a toothed drum I, which passes on drum 2, which is made fast (I!) made fast to the same shaft as drum (2),: to shaft 8, moves in a directionv perpendicular to which actuates the original. 55

In order to obtain the dimensions of the pictures with great exactness in the direction of the feed, the focussing and the final regulation of the size of the pictures are obtained by the displacement of collimator 5 and of lenses in and II.

Figures 1 and 4 show for example that in the case of the copy of two sound tracks on a virgin film or on a film on which latent pictures of smaller dimensions have been impressed the width w of the sound track remains unchanged but that the length 1 comprising a given number of sound waves has been reduced by half on the copies made from the original.

In order to obtain the greatest possible resolutive power of the optical system compatible with the smallest dimension possible of reverser 6, it is necessary to position said reverser between prism 0 and lenses l0 and II (when it is desired to increase the length of the picture) instead of keeping it in the position in which it is shown in the drawings, said piston corresponding to a reduction in the length of the picture. It is preferable, in all cases, to effect anamorphosis in the direction if the displacement of the film as this makes it Ead'ssible to employ one anamorphoser only, wor ing under the best optical conditions for obtaining all the copies it may bedesired to print simultaneously.

The reversion of the picture transmitted, in the direction in which the film unrolls, can be obtained by any reversing system other than the Wollaston prism, for instance with an Amici prism, a. set of Porro prisms or a suitable combination of spherical lenses.

Finally, the same result can also be obtained by suppressing the reversing system and by causing the reversion of the picture by means of the anamorphoser itself (Figure 4). In this case the anamorphoser is made up of two converging systems of cylindrical lenses C and c' the ratio of the cylindrical focal distances of which is equal to the ratio of anamorphosis it is desired to obtain. These systems are positioned in such a way that their generatrices shall be parallel with one another and that the distance between them is that which makes the anamorphosing system practically afocal.

It is to be understood that, in the foregoing, the word picture" refers both to the picture of the cinematographic scene and to the sound registration.

Finally it should be noted that, by suppressing the anamorphoser, the printing machine which forms 'the subject matter of the invention is rendered capable of printing copies having the same dimensions as the original film or dimensions either reduced or increased in the same proportions both in length and in width.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for simultaneously and continuously printing more than one copy from an original film comprising in combination unitary means for driving in spaced relation an original negative film and a virgin film, an optical system for transmitting the luminous rays passing through the negative film to said virgin film to print thereon more than one copy of the negative film but with the images thereof reversed longitudinally of the films and compressed longitudinally oi the films, said optical system including a collimator, a pair of reflecting devices for changing the direction of the transmitted rays, optical means for reversing the transmitted images in the direction of motion of the films and for compressing the images in the same direction and more than one lens each adapted to focus the transmitted images upon a different part of said virgin film.

2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said optical reversing and compressing means comprise a reversing device and an anamorphoser, said reversing device being positioned between said original film and one of said deflecting devices and said anamorphoser being positioned between said deflecting devices.

3. A machine according to claim 1 when said optical reversing and compressing means is an anamorphoser composed of two systems of converging parallel cylindrical lenses, the lens sys tems having their ratio of focal lengths equal to their ratio of anamorphosis and being so spaced as to make the anamorphoser substantially afocal.

HENRI crmn'rrnn. 

